Florida Keys

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT FLORIDA KEYS - PAGE 2

Driving the Florida Keys in a car, I might not have seen them. But riding my bike, it was hard to miss the "V" of about a dozen brown pelicans that glided no more than 15 feet above my head at Little Torch Key, flying in the direction of Key Largo while I pedaled south toward Key West. Cool. The Keys are unique. There's just one road in and out of the archipelago that arcs from south of Miami more than 100 miles to Key West. That's U.S. Highway 1. Back around the turn of the 20th century, there was another option as Florida developer Henry Flagler spent huge amounts of money (and lives were lost too)

Five anti-Castro activists were released without charges after U.S. Customs agents caught them off the Florida Keys on a 26-foot boat carrying weapons and explosives early Tuesday. The five Cuban-Americans were affiliated with the Miami-based anti-Castro group United Commandos for Liberation, Customs agents said. Wilfredo Fernandez, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney, said the matter is still being investigated. The men were on a fishing boat spotted by a Customs vessel on anti-drug patrol about a mile south of Marathon, 120 miles across the Florida Straits from Cuba.

You won't find AAA Five Diamond restaurants in the Florida Keys. Why, then, are mealtimes the highlight of every visitor's day? To hopscotch island to island along the Overseas Highway is a voyage through unique cultural and culinary history. As separate islands years ago, the Keys had closer ties to the Bahamas and Cuba than to Miami or Tampa. Albeit tongue in cheek, the Keys once seceded from the Union to form the Conch Republic. Cuban, African and Caribbean influences reign.

No shirt, no shoes, no problem. The words that greet diners at Key West Seafood and Pasta Shack in Elmhurst set the easy, breezy tone of the Florida Keys. Step inside and you're definitely not in Illinois anymore. Owner Danny Ruiz earned his sea legs at an earlier successful Elmhurst seafood venture, Key West Shrimp and Chili Bar, which has since been taken over by Augustine Aiello. The Shrimp and Chili Bar operates as a take-out restaurant featuring mainly shrimp. With his new Key West eatery, Ruiz has expanded to a full-service restaurant that brings the flavor of the Keys to the Midwest.

If all you can think about your Florida Keys trip is "Wasting away in Margaritaville," then you need to read this story. There are many other things to think about in preparation of a Keys vacation than where to buy your first and last drink. You don't need to lose sight of tropical paradise, but it doesn't hurt to iron out a few details before you leave. - Bed tax: In addition the regular hotel rates, the local government tacks on an additional 11.5 percent. For example, if you're staying in a room that costs $80 per night, you'll actually pay $89.20 per night when the bill comes.

One day, on a well-trod stretch of Florida's famed Miami Beach oceanfront, Rudiger Bieler did something hundreds of thousands of tourists do every year: He stooped over and picked up a seashell. The shell wasn't pretty. But it was significant. In a sort of lesson on how much of the natural world remains undiscovered, the shell turned out to be scientists' first evidence of a previously unknown species of snail. Now Bieler and a colleague are finding dozens more new marine species as they survey 4,000 square miles of ocean bottom around another tourist mecca, the Florida Keys.

How many times have you driven U.S. Hwy. 1 across the Florida Keys? With enough vans and campers lumbering in the line of traffic ahead, once can be enough. I long ago resolved to fly if my destination was simply Key West. The brutal drive through miles of neon come-on is best avoided if you merely long to relax. You can fly there from Miami in an hour, rent a car and spare an extra day or two on the road. But if you have the time and truly want to taste some of Florida's special outdoor wonders, that drive is worth the time and effort.

Smoked fish dip is the little black dress of dinner parties in South Florida - of such impeccable taste that it often shows up in several variations, however informal the setting. The typical stylings are mayonnaise or cream cheese, spritzed with fresh lemon and other seasonings. Arriving by the tub, it's devoured as automatically as hummus on crackers, crudite or chips. At a barbecue during a family trip, two couples brought local favorites, which sent me on a quest to replicate a recipe for my favorite dip: Smoked Marlin Dip from Old Dixie Seafood in Boca Raton, which I dolloped that night on white cheddar rice crackers and topped with pickled jalapeno slices, as advised.

After six years of dating, and one year engaged, Carol, 41, of Winter Park, Fla., felt something was off with her fiance. She noticed his Facebook profile had a thorough recounting of his life but didn't mention her. She also noticed he had a new female Facebook friend from the Florida Keys, where he had recently gone on vacation while she stayed home - a house they owned together - to plan their wedding. When Carol (whose surname is being withheld) expressed her concerns, he said he wasn't sure he wanted to get married, she said.

Nearly everyone's had this fantasy: You're on an island, surrounded by soothing sea. You own this island. No neighbors bother you with stereos, cars, the ugly color they painted their house. In the Florida Keys, you can live this fantasy if you have determination, luck and plenty of money. Islands are expensive-in the millions-but so are lots of homes in south Florida. The island owner wants something more. More privacy. More cache. More work. "People buy islands because they are like collector's items," said real estate broker Brooks Clark.